Not a day goes by that we are not invited to outline our thoughts and strategies when domestic firms or overseas business ventures invite us, as a PR agency in Dublin, to be part of the development of a strategy for that organisation, be it institution, corporation or association.

In the ever changing media landscape, PR agencies in Dublin need to be constantly evolving, improving and looking for the edge that will lift their campaign above the white noise of the 24 hour media cycle and catch the heart of their target audience off-guard.

Undoubtedly, many PR firms in Dublin have a similar mindset and we believe it is essential that a potential client realises the potential of the chosen PR agency to maximise a strategy and tactics that can be deployed using various initiatives. We are of the view that people hire people, not machines, so it is essential that a potential client finds the right mix, correct dynamics to achieve its goal.

In the past fifteen years, the rise of social media and the explosion of online media outlets has forced PR agencies around the world to think differently and adapt to the changing landscape. In a Dublin context, PR firms no longer solely concentrate on the handful of national newspaper titles, radio stations and television studios that dominated the media landscape for decades.

Our focus is constantly on generating results for our clients, and to stay ahead of the rapidly increasing number of PR agencies in Dublin requires us to thoroughly understand the changing nature of the media world and how best to adapt. Each agency will take a different approach, but it is essential to achieve the right balance of traditional PR skills, technological know-how and digital creativity to provide the services a client needs.

The fragmentation of the modern media landscape forces agencies to focus on communicating their message through a wide variety of channels and creating a harmony of voices through the duration of campaigns which are becoming ever more complex in nature. One only needs to look at the explosion of new radio stations and online media outlets in the Dublin market, an increasingly load hum in the background of the national media voice.

Long gone are the days where we eagerly wait for the Six One News or the morning papers to find out what is happening in the world, and the election of Donald Trump in 2016 shows, among many things, that the days of national media outlets as the dominant influence on public opinion are over. Less and less people are buying printed newspapers every year and less people are watching evening TV news as they can now choose to flick on Netflix. Coupled with the competition for free online news content, this has been putting huge financial pressure on newspapers, who are trying to cover more stories with less journalists.

In Ireland, where media is highly concentrated in Dublin, PR agencies also have to react to these changes and take an ‘adapt or die’ approach to the way they do business. In order to provide a world-class service to our clients, we have to be aware of how the new media landscape influences their needs. For PR agencies in Dublin this means embracing change rather than fighting it. We are very comfortable in leading that change.